Social Media

Apple Enlists iPhone 4S Users to Solve Battery Problem

Two weeks after the iPhone 4S release, Apple is quietly reaching out to users who have experienced serious battery drainage problems — and asking them to help by installing a monitoring program.

The crowdsourced approach came to light courtesy of The Guardian, which found a user in the UK who had been contacted by Apple after he wrote about his battery life problems online. "I then got a call from a senior engineer who said he had read my post and was 'reaching out' to users for data," the user said. He had been experiencing a 10% drop in battery life every hour.

The Apple engineer then "admitted this was an issue (and that they aren't close to finding a fix!) and asked lots of questions about my usage and then asked if he could install the file below and that he would call back the day after to retrieve the info."

Apple has sent mixed messages about the iPhone 4S battery life since its launch. The company's data sheet notes that the phone's standby time is 200 hours, which is lower than previous models — but Apple also says the 4S has a longer battery life when it comes to 3G talk time.

Although the battery issue hasn't quite reached Antennagate levels, it is lighting up the Apple message boards. One user post on "iPhone 4S battery life" has received 1,300 replies and nearly 100,000 views since Oct. 15.

No consensus has been reached on what is causing the drainage. Some 4S owners have been able to fix it by doing a clean restore of their phone from iTunes. Others point the finger at Contacts, especially those imported from MobileMe, iCloud or Google contacts, and have found success by reinstalling them.

Another possible culprit is the new Notifications system in iOS 5, which can overload a phone with constant pings from services such as Facebook or Instagram. Having too many GPS-based location services turned on can also cause the phone to lose battery life fast. Siri, the intelligent voice assistant baked into the iPhone 4S, does not appear to be a serious drain on the battery.

Speaking as an iPhone 4S user, I have noticed no battery life problems in the past two weeks. Then again, I have kept my Notifications to a minimum — not for the sake of my phone, but the sake of my sanity. The Facebook app's notifications, especially, can waste a lot of time, whether or not it wastes power too.

iPhone 4S Product Details

iPhone 4S

The iPhone 4S looks and feels exactly like the iPhone 4.

iPhone 4S Video

The iPhone 4S comes with an 8MP camera, an improved lens, 1080p HD video and a slew of upgrades that allow for faster video taking and crisper images.

iPhone 4S Camera

New features such as cropping are now available through the iPhone 4S Camera.

Siri

The most important new feature of the iPhone 4S is Siri, a voice-controlled "Intelligent Assistant" that can complete tasks based on natural language. Ask it what the weather is like today and it will respond with details.

iCloud

Apple launched iCloud at its event, allowing users to sync their photos, music, emails and more across iOS devices.

iCloud Across Devices

iCloud also works between iOS devices and Mac OS X Lion.

iCloud Photos

Photos taken on the phone are automatically uploaded to iCloud. Then they are available on your other Apple devices.

iOS 5

iOS 5 is the new version of Apple's mobile OS. It includes revamped notifications, a new Messages feature and deep integration with Twitter.

Messages

iOS 5 includes a new Messages feature for sending messages to other iOS devices for free, no texting required.

Notifications

iOS 5 includes revamped notifications. No more annoying push notifications!

What's Hot

More in Social Media

What's New

What's Rising

What's Hot

Mashable
is a leading source for news, information and resources for the Connected Generation. Mashable reports on the importance of digital innovation and how it empowers and inspires people around the world. Mashable's record 42 million unique visitors worldwide and 21 million social media followers are one of the most influential and engaged online communities. Founded in 2005, Mashable is headquartered in New York City with an office in San Francisco.